Locking-socket for electric lights.



PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

J. MURPHY. LOOKING SOCKET FOR ELECTRIC LIGHTS.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 11, 1904.

amma/L J 5y 1 said teeth with the use of a special -designed key.

I have illustrated my invention in the ac- UNITED STATES PATENT @FFTQE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906.

Application filed June 11, 1904; Serial No. 212,213.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEREMIAH MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county'of Cook and State of Illino1s, have invented a new and useful Lockin Socket for Electric Lights, of which the fdllowing is a specification.

My invention relates to locking-sockets in which a female thread is provided to receive a male thread provided on the lamp; and the objects of my im rovements are, first, to provide a spriu -l0c on the socket whereby the lamp will e automatically locked when laced in ositionin the socket; second, to facilitate t e easy unlocking of said lock from the exterior by the use of a proper key; third, to provide a simple, durable, and chea construction, and other objects which Wlll become apparent from the description to follow.

It is a source of considera le annoyance with the present ordinary construction of incandescent-electric-light sockets because the lamps frequently become loose and break the electrical contact and sometimes become disconnected from the socket entirely. This is especially true of lamps located where they are subjected to a continual jar, as on a railroad-coach. Another point worthy'of mention here is the fact that a great many lamps are prevented from being taken by some mischievous erson when locked into position as provided f) this invention.

While I ave shown and will describe my invention in connection with a regular Edison socket, it will be understood that it is caable of being used in connection with any d of a socket with possibly slight modifications necessary.

My invention consists of securing a spring or a spring-pressed catch to the innenlming of the screw-threaded portion of the socket, which is arranged to engage teeth rovided on the exterior of the screw-threade portion of .the lamp. The spring or catch normally is held in engagement with said teeth, and some convenient means is provided whereby saidspring or catch can be disengaged from companying sheet of drawings, in which- Figure 1 1s an elevation, partly in section,

having the outer shell 1 1, the layer of insulation 12, and the inner metal lining 13,which is provided with the customary screw-thread 14, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The screwthread 14 is made to receive the screw-thread 15 on the lamp 16, and when the two threads arebrought into proper cooperation the desired electrical contact is made betweenthe two. Aspring-catch 17 is riveted or otherwise secured to the inner shell 13, so as to have its functional end 18 normally in the same path with the thread 15, which is provided with ratchet-teeth 19, tobe engaged by the end 18 of the catch 17. I

The threads 14 and '15, the catch 17, the teeth 19, and the electrical contacts of the socket and lamp are so arranged in relation to each other that when the thread 15 is screwed into the thread 14 sufficiently to brin the electrical contacts on'the socket and lamp to ether the end 18 will engage some one of t e teeth 19. The catch 17 and the teeth 19 are so arranged that the end 18 will snap over the teeth 19 when the lamp 16 is screwed into the socket 10 and will catch back of one of the teeth- 19 when an attempt is made to unscrew the lamp from the socket and prevent its removal.

To remove the lamp 16 from the socket 10 after having been inserted, it is necessary to move the end 18 out of the path of teeth' 19, and to accomplish this a small screw-threaded pin 20 is provided on the catch 17, extending through a perforation 21 in the insulation 12 and shell 11. The perforation-21 is preferably lined with insulation 22. A key 23 is provided with a female thread 24 to fit the thread on the pin 20, and when it is desired to unscrew the lam from the socket the key 23 is screwed over tlie pin 20, and an outward pull on the key will move the end 18 of the catch 17 out of the ath of the teeth 19, so that the lam 16 will e free to be unscrewed from the soc et 10.

- To avoid the necessity of an outward pull on the key 23 to withdraw the catch 17 from the ath of the teeth 19, I refer to provide the ey 23with an oflset or s oulder 25, which engages the bushing .22 or other part of the the bushing I of the path of the teeth 19, the beveled hook socket 10 .as the key is screwed onto the pin 20, and thus automatically pulls the catch 17 out of the path of the teeth 19 and retains it in such position until the key is unscrewed from the pin 20.

A portion of the inner shell 13 is cut away at 26 to accommodate the catch 17.

in Fig. 4 a slight modification is shown in the construction of the spring-catch 17, in which the. functional end 18 is in the opposite direction from the fastening-point of the catch 17- i. e., in the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the unscrewing of the lamp from the socket is resisted by a pushing strain on the catch 17, and in the construction shown in Fi 4 the unscrewing of the lamp. from the soc et is resisted by a pulling strain on the catch 17 In Fig. 5 a pivoted catch 27 is shown, and the ho e through the bushing 28 is screwthreaded. To release the end of the catch 27 from the teeth, a key threaded on the exterior (not shown) is screwed into the bushing 28 against the tail end of the catch 27.

I 6 is shown a catch 29, made integral wit the inner shell 13 by cutting a recta ar slot in the same and 'is'provided with pe oration 30, registering with the hole in 22. To move the catch 29 out 31 on the end of the key 32 is (placed through the perforation 3'0 and pushe along so as to cam the catch out. 7

While I have shown the catch as bein movable radially from the"axis of the soc et, it will be understood that it is possible to have the movement of the catch'be longitudinally of the socket and be within the scope of my inventi'on.

Having described my invention, what- I claim, and esire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is 1. In a device of the class described, a lampsocket,- alamp, a screw-thread on the socket to cooperate with a thread on the lamp, a series of teeth on the lamp, each of whichis formed with one side inclined and the other side on a radial line, a s ring-pressed dog normally held in the pat of said teeth to positively event turning the lam in one direction, a detached kc ,and anext dnsion on grid do to be engaged by said key whereby the latch is moved out of the 'ath of said teeth. 7

2. In a device 0 the class described, a lamp socket, a lamp, a screw-thread on the socket rieso one side inclined and the other side on a radial line, a spring-pressed dog normally held in the path of said teeth to positively prevent the reverse movement of said lamp, a detached key provided with a screw-thread, and a screw-threaded extension on said latch to be engaged by said key whereby said dog is moved out of the path of said teeth.

3. In a device of the class described, a lampsocket, a lamp, a screw-thread on the socket to cooperate with a thread on the lamp, a series o teeth on the lamp each formed with one side inclined and the other side on a radial line, a springressed dog secured to the lining of said soc et to positively prevent turning the lamp in one direction, a detached key, and means whereby said dog may 2e moved out of the path of said teeth by said 4. In a device of the class described, a lampsocket, a lamp, a screw-thread on the socket to 006 erate with a thread on the lamp, a series o teeth on the thread of the lamp each tooth formed with one side inclined and the other side on a radial line, a spring-pressed dog. normally held in the path of said teeth whereby the movement of the lamp in one direction is automatically and positively prefrom said teeth.

5. In a device of the class described, a lampsocket, a lamp, a screw-thread on the socket to cooperate with a thread on the lamp, a series of teeth on the lamp, each of said teeth formed with one side inclined and the other side on a radial line, a spring-pressed dog secured to the socket normally held in the path of saidteeth, a screw-threaded stem secured to said dog extending radially outward therc-' from,'a perforation in. the outer casing of said socket rovided with a bushing-of insulation, a detac ed key having a threaded hole in its end 'to fit on said screw-threaded stem and a being so constructed and arrange that when the lamp is screwed into said socket, said dog will without the aid of the key positively 100 .the same against a reverse movement and shoulder tofitagainst said bushin said parts to coofperate with a thread on the lam a seteeth on the lamp, each. tooth ormed with one side inclined and the other side on a radial line, a spring-pressed dog secured to the socket normally held in the path of said name to this specification, in the presence of teeth, a screw-threaded stem secured to said two subscribing witnesses, this 10th day of 10 dogf extending rladially outward ghergfronlix, a November, 1903, at Chicago, Illinois.

er oration in t e outer casin o sai soc et 5 End a detached key having a t eaded end to JEREMIAH MURPHY fit said screw-threaded stem and a shoulder Witnesses: to fit againstsaid socket. C. L. CROSS,

In testimony whereof I have signed my R. J. JACKER. 

